With three young kids, we don’t get anywhere quickly. I’m sure many of you know the drill. First, it takes a few tries to get them to stop playing. Then comes the scavenger hunt – jackets, bags, shoes that match. The Plan B bag – extra clothes, diapers, snacks, toys. Then a few last-minute bathroom trips, down to the car, back upstairs for my purse, down, forgot the masks, now someone is crying, now the phone is ringing, now we’re yelling at each other because we’re late! 

I read in a book recently about a trick that theater companies use to make sure everyone is aware of how much time they have until the next entrance. The stage manager will give the actor a time call like “3 minutes until your Scene 2 entrance,” and they will respond by repeating it back, “thank you 3!” In a moment of parenting genius, I taught it to my older kids. Now I give them several time calls before we leave for school, or before bedtime, and get a very satisfying reply of “thank you 10!” or “thank you 5!” Our transitions are much smoother as a result. 

But what can we do when our time call is ZERO? In a moment, we receive the news that a family member back home has died. Overnight, our country of service is closed to foreigners or deemed unsafe for us to stay. In the blink of an eye, a pandemic sweeps across the globe and all of our lives are turned upside down. 

I can’t make plans or pack supplies for these situations. My only solution is to prepare my heart to say “thank you zero.” By practicing giving thanks every day, in all circumstances, I can be ready to give thanks in a transition I don’t want and didn’t ask for. It is His will for me to give thanks, lifting my empty hands to receive the grace, strength, and provision I lack. I can trust that the God who is sovereign over every circumstance will supply everything I need in this one.